Health, Mind & Body 2015

Survive a Stroke

pg 3

Crisis in cancer care in U.S.

pg 17

Autistic Adult Health Issues

pg 3

Use caution with aspirin Good dental health

pg 10

pg 11

Snoring and heart disease

pg 15

Hearing aids = a great investment Long term impact of baby diet Bounce Back After an injury Mediterranean diet

pg 19

pg 4

pg 21

The Crescent-News March 12, 2015

pg 18

PAGE 2 - Health & Fitness, The Crescent-News, Thursday, March 12, 2015

Health & Fitness, The Crescent-News, Thursday, March 12, 2015 - PAGE 3

How to survive a stroke

(BPT) — At 47 years old, a stroke was the last thing Brian Donlan of Babylon, N.Y., expected when he arrived at his Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu workout. Feeling healthy and in shape, he was passionate about fitness and martial arts and frequently practiced at the dojo or competed in tournaments. But when the workout ended and he couldn’t stand or speak, he knew something was wrong.

Donlan was rushed to the hospital. He arrived unable to form sentences and with no feeling down his right arm and leg. Scans indicated that Donlan was having a stroke, and doctors gave him the widely used

ADVERTISER INDEX

Behringer, Herman, Eckhardt DD ...... 20 Beltone Hearing Aid Center ............... 18 Bragg Chiropractic ............................. 11 Brookview Healthcare Center ............ 10 Community Health Professionals ........ 5 Community Hospitals & Wellness Center ............................ 20 Community Memorial Hospital ........... 12 CRSI .................................................. 21 Culligan Sales & Service of NW Ohio 17 Defiance Area Diabetic Club .............. 16 Defiance Area YMCA ........................... 6 Fairlawn Haven .................................. 19 Filling Home of Mercy ........................ 14 Gardens of Paulding .......................... 21 GlennPark ............................................ 4 Glenwood Senior Housing ................... 9 Henry County Family Physicians ....... 14 Henry County Hospital ......................... 2 Interim Healthcare ............................... 9 Ken’s Furniture .................................. 19 Kingsbury House. .............................. 13 Laurels of Defiance .............................. 7 Lutheran Home of Napoleon .............. 24 Maumee Valley Guidance Center ........ 3 Mitchell Dermatology ......................... 22 Ohio Gas............................................ 23 Okuley’s Pharmacy & Home Medical ... 8 P&R Medical Connection ..................... 5 Recovery Services of NWO ............... 16 Rupp Furniture Co. ............................ 20 Sammons Carpet Care ...................... 17 Turning Point ....................................... 6 Vancrest of Holgate ........................... 15 Westwood Behavioral Health Center . 22 Whittaker Family Dental ..................... 11

Research suggests

Autistic adults have several serious health problems Photo courtesy of Brandpoint

New surgical procedure called inside-the-artery treatment greatly increases chances of surviving a stroke in good health.

stroke medication TPA (tissue plasminogen activator) in an attempt to help dissolve the blood clot. When it became clear that the TPA was not working and his condition continued to worsen, Donlan underwent inside-the-artery treatment (also known as interventional or intra-arterial treatment) to remove the blood clot from a major blood vessel in his brain.

“Within 12 hours, I was able to speak in sentences,” Donlan said. “And I was walking a few hours after that.”

The successful procedure was done on a Friday, and

by Sunday Donlan had completely regained his movement, speech and feeling in his limbs. He was thankful to be sent home to continue his recovery in time to celebrate Father’s Day with his two sons.

The majority of strokes are caused by a blood clot in an artery inside the brain, blocking blood flow and depriving brain cells of oxygen and nutrients. An estimated 800,000 Americans experience a stroke each year. Stroke is the leading cause of adult disability and the fifth leading cause of death in the U.S. How can you increase your chances of not only surviving a stroke, but also preserving your mobility and independence like Donlan?

Identify advanced stroke

centers in your area Not all hospitals are advanced stroke centers, so they may not offer inside-the-artery treatment.

Identify your nearest stroke center now so that you know where to go when a stroke occurs.

Recognize the signs and symptoms of a stroke Common symptoms of stroke include numbness in parts of the body, particularly in the face or arms, and weakness or partial paralysis along one side of the body. You might also experience slurred speech or have trouble walking.

Seek immediate medical attention Immediate medical attention is critical to reduce the risk of long-term disability or death, since treatments need to be given within three to six hours.

Dr. Foy is accepting new Call 9-1-1 Call for an ambuchild9-1-1 and adolescent lance so that diagnosis and patients treatment can be started on the way to the hospiServing drive Northwestyourself Ohio tal. Don’t or Countiesone. since 1960 your loved Ask for Defiance inside-the-artery treatment Williams A recentHenryadvancement Fulton in inside-the-artery clot www.maumeevalleyguidancecenter.org removal is the Penumbra System(R), which acts like a miniature vacuum cleaner for the brain, using suction to gently remove the clot and restore blood flow.

Inside-the-artery treat• Stroke, Page 10

CHICAGO (AP) — Autistic adults are much more likely than others to suffer from depression, high blood pressure, obesity and additional health woes that may partly result from their social isolation, new research suggests.

They’re also much less likely to smoke and drink alcohol, a paradoxical finding since those habits can contribute to many conditions that disproportionately affect autistic adults. Scientists say that could mean that their biologic makeup contributes to some of the illnesses.

The study is one of the largest, most comprehensive efforts to examine the health of autistic adults and highlights a need for better strategies to treat them, said scientist Lisa Croen, the lead author and director of the autism research program at Kaiser Permanente Division of Research in Oakland, Calif.

Some of the same health disparities also have been found in autistic children, but there’s little research on whether they persist into adulthood or if new ailments develop.

“This new study makes a vitally important contribution by helping to map this little-explored territory,” said Paul Shattuck, a Drexel University autism researcher who was not involved.

The study was prepared for release at the International Meeting for Autism Research in Atlanta. It’s based on medical records for 2,100 adults with autism spectrum disorder, an umbrella term encompassing mild autism and the more classic form of the disorder. They were enrolled during 2008-12 in a Kaiser health plan in northern California. Their records were compared with 21,000 non-autistic Kaiser enrollees.

• Autistic, Page 8 Offering…

Adults - Children  Counseling ServicesIndividual-Marriage-Group-Family “Enhancing The Quality of Life for  Psychiatric ServicesThose We Serve” Adults & Children  Medication Management Services  Case Management ServicesAdults & Youth - Individual - Marriage - Group & Family Counseling Enhancing the quality of  Clubhouse Program - Psychiatric Evaluation - Adult & Children life for those we serve  Alcohol & Drug Addiction Services - Medication Management Services Prevention Services 211Management Biede Avenue (Adult &Senior - Case Youth)  Veterans Supportive Services Defiance, OH 43512 - Clubhouse 800-569-3980 - Alcohol and Drug AddictionIntegrated ServicesHealth Care - Senior Prevention Services Funded in part by: Four Co ADAMhs - Veterans Supportive Services Board and United Way

- Integrated Health Care

Maumee Valley Guidance Center 800-569-3980

Serving: Defiance, Fulton, Henry, Williams counties www.maumeevalleyguidancecenter.org Funded in part by: Four Co. ADAMhs Board & United Way

PAGE 4 - Health & Fitness, The Crescent-News, Thursday, March 12, 2015

“I promised Mom I’d take care of her and never put her in a home.”

But now I realize that I can’t possibly take care of her increasing needs.

Fortunately a friend told me about Glenn Park in Defiance. I needed to find a place that felt more like home but provided around the clock nursing care if she needed it.

Glenn Park was the answer. They organize and administer her medications and help her bathe and dress. While she was a little reluctant at first, she found very quickly that she loves the opportunities to share things with new friends and neighbors.

Let us help you. Please call us at

(419) 782-3000

2429 William A Diehl Court Defiance, OH 43512

Bouncing back after an injury In October, I dislocated my shoulder.

I was doing a double jack burpee and my hand slipped, then my shoulder decided to go another way.

The first thing people said after the incident was, “You can’t do that exercise again.”

First, I am not the typical 43-year-old. Telling me what I can’t do only pushes me to do more, and to do it better. Secondly, I always assess situations to see what can be done differently. Lastly, I will always comply with all of my doctors’ and physical therapy orders, and I will modify my workouts until I fully recover; however, I will not live in fear.

From the moment the incident happened, I kept calm. I also knew that pain is temporary and relief was moments away. All I had to do was hang in there and get to a hospital.

The normal procedure to reduce a dislocated shoulder is to do conscious sedation, which has risk factors as well as a longer hospital recovery time. So I chose not to do conscious sedation to reduce my shoulder pain. I looked at my doctor, my nurse and team and yelled, “Can I get it, get it, get it?” With laughter in the air, the team popped my arm back in place. I was elated and relieved at the same time.

The incident had happened; it was under control, then the real work began with post-recovery.

This is where multiple doctor appointments, diagnostic studies and physical therapy came into play.

My orthopedic surgeon was very stern with me.

He said, “You have a small tear and a bruised bone, and whether you have surgery or not depends on

how dedicated you are to your physical therapy.”

Going from a very active lifestyle like mine to modifying and asking for help is a very humbling experience.

Physical therapy opened my eyes to a different form of fitness, because that’s just what it is. As much as you don’t like exercising when your body is 100 percent, imagine going to therapy already in pain, with a limited range of motion.

There were many days I wanted to not show up, but I knew that the only person that would hurt is me.

Three months after the incident, at a doctor’s appointment, my orthopedic surgeon walked into the room and pulled up my MRI. He gave me a high five and said, “Great job; you did it.” A big sigh of relief came over me. I know I am not 100 percent yet; however, I am on the right track to a full recovery.

Recovery works if you put in the work. Here are some lessons I was reminded of along the way: • Injuries and accidents will happen; that’s life!

How you choose to recover is totally your choice. Don’t get settled in on the couch after an injury, and slowly drift back into a sedentary lifestyle.

• Focus on what you can do and stop dwelling on what you can’t. Some of us become prisoners in our minds when our bodies are willing to give all.

• Get an accountability partner. My team has been truly amazing during my recovery. They had and still have a very watchful eye on me, and will often tell me to chill out when I’m doing too much. But they don’t enable me.

(Tribune News Service)

Health & Fitness, The Crescent-News, Thursday, March 12, 2015 - PAGE 5

The importance of controlling hypertension (BPT) — Most people assume they only need to take their medication when they are sick, meaning when they experience symptoms.

But in the case of hypertension, this type of thinking could kill you.

Patients who have hypertension are often completely asymptomatic — that’s the reason hypertension is often called the silent killer.

The belief that symptoms such as headaches, nose bleeds, nervousness, sweating, difficulty sleeping or facial flushing are signals to take blood pressure medication is a myth.

Nonadherence to hypertension medication is a huge challenge. Research shows that one in three American adults suffer from high blood pressure, but only 47 percent effectively treat their disease to keep blood pressure levels

under control.

Express Scripts’ specialist pharmacist Ed Dannemiller recently spoke with a patient who was 40 days late to refill her blood pressure prescription.

“When I asked her about the delay, she said she only takes her medication when she feels stressed or has a headache. The problem with this is that patients with hypertension may feel perfectly fine before suffering a heart attack or stroke,” said Dannemiller.

Normal blood pressure is less than 120/80, but consistent levels above 140/90 require medical attention.

Simply keeping a patient’s blood pressure under control decreases the risk of heart attack by 25 percent, stroke by 33 percent and heart failure by 50 percent.

But the only way to have a precise measurement is

through a blood pressure reading.

“I encourage patients to become engaged in their own health and keep track of their blood pressure readings, which can help prevent unnecessary hospitalizations or ER visits,” Dannemiller explained.

For patients with whitecoat hypertension — those whose blood pressure rises from stress in the doctor’s office — a home blood pressure monitor is a good option.

Dannemiller offered these useful tips for patients monitoring their pressure at home: • Take blood pressure readings in a seated position with arm at the heart level.

• To regulate the monitor, discard the first reading.

• Keep a record of your blood pressure levels

CHP Home Health & Hospice Loving Care Tailored to Your Needs Visiting Nurses & Hospice Private Duty - Health Aides In-Home Therapy Defiance Inpatient Hospice Center 419-782-4131 6817 St. Rte. 66 N. (2 mi. north of US 24)

Need Help? Call us!

Archbold: 419-445-5128 Bryan: 419-633-7590 Defiance: 419-782-5411 Nonprofit Agency Serving Northwest & West Central Ohio Since 1975

Facebook.com/ ComHealthPro

Photo courtesy of Brandpoint

Taking your hypertension medicine can prevent a stroke or heart attack.

to bring to your doctor’s appointment.

This additional data will Live healthy, help youryour physician better understand your condition and make better medical decisions to ensure healthier outcomes.

In addition to staying adherent to blood pressure medication, regardless of

symptoms, the following lifestyle modifications also can improve cardiovascular everyday life with health: • Consume a hearthealthy diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables and low in salt, fat and cholesterol.

• Engage in regular aerobic physical activity.

P&R Medical Connection

Live your healthy, everyday life with

P&R Medical Connection Home IV Service, Inc.

Scooters, Power Wheelchairs, Ramps

Our Mission Statement is as follows:

Our mission is a simple one based on a simple philosophy.

When you are sick, there is no place like home. Since 1985, our mission has been to provide the equipment and products necessary to help patients stay in their home, or get back to their home as soon as possible. From high tech pharmacy services to the installation of grab bars, we will continually strive to provide the highest quality service available in a cost effective way.

Home IV Service, Inc.

Scooters, Power Wheelchairs, Ramps

• Diabetic Supplies • Oxygen • Mastectomy • Our Hospital beds Mission Statement is as follows: Products • IV Therapy Our mission is a simple one based on a simple philosophy.

• Wheelchairs •When Bathyou Equipment are sick, there is no place like home. Since 1985, our • Walkers/Canes • Commodes mission has been to provide the equipment and products necessary help patients stay in• their or Aids get back to Dailyhome, Living • OstomytoSupplies their home as soon as possible.• From tech pharmacy Wristhigh Braces • Jobst Stockings services to the installation of grab bars, we will continually • Uniforms/Shoes • Knee strive to Braces provide the highest quality service available in a cost • Scooters/Scooter lifts • Crutches effective way.

• Turbans, Hats • CPAP & BiPAP Hair Pieces •• Urological •& Diabetic Supplies Oxygen Supplies • Mastectomy • Hospital beds Products • IV Therapy • Wheelchairs • Bath Equipment • Walkers/Canes • Commodes 1-800-587-7670 • Daily Living Aids • Ostomy Supplies 1018 Ralston Ave. 1018 Ralston Ave. Suite Suite•107, 107, Defiance, OH WristDefiance, Braces OH • Jobst Stockings • Uniforms/Shoes • Knee 11135 Braces 1113 1113 S. Van S.Shannon ShannonSt., St., VanWert, Wert,OH OH • Scooters/Scooter • Crutches 1100 E. High9-5, St. Suite B, Bryan, OH lifts M-F Sat. 9-1 Hats • Turbans, • CPAP & BiPAP M-F 9-5; Sat&10-1 Hair Pieces • Urological Supplies

P & RMedical MedicalConnection Connection P&R 1-800-587-7670

1100 E. High St. Suite B, Bryan, OH 1100 Suite A122, A122,Decatur, Decatur,ININ 1100 Mercer Mercer Suite

P&R Medical Connection M-F 9-5 M-F 9-5 1-800-587-7670

1018 Ralston Ave. Suite 107, Defiance, OH 11135 S. Shannon St., Van Wert, OH

PAGE 6 - Health & Fitness, The Crescent-News, Thursday, March 12, 2015

Cancer patients learn about exercise to improve strength Associated Press

Her face flushed, Rosemary Lamont sat on the gym floor one recent afternoon, listening to her trainer’s impassioned commands.

“Sit up tall and lift that leg,” the trainer coached, counting down the remaining seconds. “Five, four, three, two, one. Beautiful!”

Lamont smiled, exhaling loudly.

The 69-year-old woman is among legions of cancer patients adopting a new recovery strategy: They’re abandoning their beds and hitting the gym. A growing body of evidence supports the idea that sweating is better than resting after cancer. The workouts both restore energy drained from cancer treatments and, in some cases, help prevent

the disease’s return.

There are an estimated 13.7 million cancer survivors nationwide and 266,510 in Minnesota, according to the American Cancer Society. Lamont’s exercise class at the Eden Prairie Community Center is the latest response to a growing demand for cancer fitness programs.

As the benefits become more widely known, more of the fitness programs are popping up, such as the Livestrong Foundation’s partnership with YMCAs across the country and local programs at the YWCA and yoga centers.

“The cancer journey can be very disempowering because your body can betray you, and there’s lots of things you just don’t have control over,” said Cathy Skinner, who is among a rare

breed of trainers specially certified by the American College of Sports Medicine to work with cancer survivors. “But exercise, state of mind, nutrition — those things you can control.”

The American Cancer Society also recommends exercise, but advises patients to consult with their oncologists before starting an exercise program. The organization has a list of precautions on its website.

Lamont, of Eden Prairie, Minn., was battling a second bout of breast cancer when she underwent chemotherapy earlier this year.

It left her feeling exhausted.

But she didn’t take it lying down. She started working out, twice a week.

It’s paying off. Driving a metal pin into a stack of weights during a recent workout, Lamont said: “My

JOIN A COMMUNITY NOT JUST A GYM

arms and legs are much stronger. It’s just amazing how quickly it’s come.”

In personal trainer Kara Jeter’s class, Lamont and a small group of women do a mix of cardio, strength training and mind-body work. Jeter, while not a cancer survivor herself, said her heightened awareness of the disease motivated her to push for the new class at the Eden Prairie fitness

center.

“We said, ‘OK, we really need to get our act together because there are so many people affected by cancer,” said Jeter, who teamed with two other trainers to create the class.

It’s something doctors are embracing, too. Dr. Andrea Cheville of the Mayo Clinic said exercise offers significant benefits for cancer patients.

More than 8 in 10 U.S. homes forbid smoking

NEW YORK (AP) — Smoking is banned in more than eight out of 10 U.S. homes — nearly twice as many as two decades ago, according to a new government study.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found smoking is even forbidden in nearly half of homes where an adult smoker resides, up from one in 10 households with smokers in the early 1990s.

CDC experts attribute the changes to shrinking smoking rates and altered attitudes.

“People no longer see it as socially acceptable to smoke around nonsmokers,” said Brian King, a CDC expert on smoking issues.

The adult smoking rate fell from 25 percent in 1993 to 19 percent in 2011. Helping that trend has been a boom in smoking bans in restaurants, bars and other public places, King noted.

Clinical Psychology Practice in Defiance!

MARCH SPECIAL

SIGN Family $57.00 per month UP Couple $49.00 per month TODAY! Adult $39.00 per month Offer expires 3/31/2015 *New Members Only *Prices valid first 12 months with agreement DEFIANCE AREA YMCA 1599 Palmer Drive Defiance, OH 43512 419-784-4747

Serving person ages 5 and older.

Individual, couples and family treatment provided.

Testing & Therapy Services Provided 1125 Ralston Ave., Defiance

419-782-2800

www.turningpointdefiance.com

Health & Fitness, The Crescent-News, Thursday, March 12, 2015 - PAGE 7

Choose the facility voted

“Best in the Region” 5 years in a row by its CUstoMers

This is Earl Fulk at The Laurels of Defiance for short term rehab following a hospital stay. He was at another nursing facility and “wasn’t getting enough therapy and was recieving poor nursing care.” So he came to The Laurels of Defiance from the hospital. When asked why he was doing so well at The Laurels, he and his family say, “ It’s because of the great rehab and the great over-all nursing care.” He is receiving 2 1/2 hours of therapy 7 days per week.

This is Linda Frederick. She had inpatient therapy and is now doing outpatient therapy.

Linda states, “I love this place! The therapy is great, I wouldn’t go anywhere else. The staff at The Laurels is so kind and they treat you like family. They push you to do everything you need to do to go home. The Laurels is the BEST in the region!”

Jody Hohman, Unit Manager Jody Hohman has lived in Defiance her entire life. She is married to Randy Hohman, has 2 children, 4 step-daughters and 8 grandchildren. She graduated from Northwest State Community College in 2009 with an Associates degree in Nursing. Her passion in life is to help people. She started working at the Laurels of Defiance right after graduating from Northwest State. After 5 years, in October 2014 she was given the opportunity to work as the Unit Manager on unit 1.

Nursing at the Laurels has filled her love of helping people.

The Laurels of Defiance...Your Best Choice for Rehab and Nursing Care!

L aureLs The

O

f

D

e f i a n c e

A Skilled Nursing and Rehabilitation Center

1701 S. Jefferson Ave., Defiance, OH 419-782-7879 www.laurelsofdefiance.com

Call a Laurels team member at 419-782-7879 or 419-783-1824

PAGE 8 - Health & Fitness, The Crescent-News, Thursday, March 12, 2015

Smokers may tap into multiple sources for nicotine WASHINGTON (AP) — The first peek at a major study of how Americans smoke suggests many use combinations of products, and often e-cigarettes are part of the mix.

It’s a preliminary finding, but it highlights some key questions as health officials assess electronic cigarettes.

“Are e-cigarettes a step toward a cigarette smoker getting off of cigarettes?

Or are e-cigarettes a crutch so they can get nicotine in places and times when

they wouldn’t normally be allowed to smoke cigarettes?” asked Dr. Andrew Hyland of the Roswell Park Cancer Institute, the primary investigator for a huge government study of trends in smoking and tobacco use.

Hyland’s study is one of a number of projects that scientists are watching as they explore the public health implications of e-cigarettes.

Here are some things to know: MULTIPLE SOURCES OF NICOTINE

At a recent meeting of nicotine researchers, Hyland presented preliminary findings from the first 20,000 people to enroll in the study, a baseline as the Food and Drug Administration and National Institutes of Health track how use of tobacco products, or alternatives like tobacco-free e-cigarettes, is evolving.

A fraction — 28 percent of adults and nearly 9 percent of youths — reported they currently use any type of tobacco product, Hyland

Do You Suffer

from fatigue, insomnia, mood swings, hot flashes, decreased stamina, or low libido or even struggling with weight loss?

Okuley’s Pharmacy and Home Medical can help!

Just call 419-784-4800 to schedule an appointment or check out our website for more details okuleypharmacy.com

$50

OFF

A Consultation Expires March 2016

Local, Dependable And Caring For You Like Family Since 1950.

WE DO ALL YOUR BILLING FOR YOU

www.OkuleyPharmacy.com 1201 E. Second Street • Defiance, OH 43512

419-784-4800 Monday - Friday 9:00 am - 5:00 pm; Saturday 9:00 am - 1:00 pm

said.

About 40 percent of those current tobacco users report using two or more products.

And half say battery-powered e-cigarettes are one of the multiple products they use, Hyland found. In fact, the most common combination was cigarettes and e-cigarettes.

The PATH study — it stands for Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health — will follow 46,000 people ages 12 and older over five years, a source of information as FDA decides how to regulate tobaccorelated products.

WHY THE EXTRA INTEREST IN E-CIGARETTES? Policymakers are debating the health effects of “vaping” as it grows in popularity. Many anti-smoking advocates consider e-cigarettes a safer alternative for smokers who can’t or don’t want to quit altogether.

E-cigarettes work by heating liquid nicotine into an

inhalable vapor. They contain fewer toxic substances than burning traditional cigarettes. But health officials warn that they shouldn’t be considered harmless and say much more needs to be known about long-term effects.

Critics ask if they keep smokers addicted or even act as a gateway to hook new users who eventually try tobacco.

ADULTS VS. KIDS Concern about e-cigarettes grew after a different government study in December found some teens who’d never smoked a real cigarette were trying out the electronic kind.

“Is it a passing fancy or something that sticks with them?” Dr. Wilson Compton, deputy director of NIH’s National Institute on Drug Abuse, said in an interview with the Associated Press. He hopes that over the next few years, the new PATH study will help tell.

Autistic From Page 3

Key results for autistic versus non-autistic adults: • Depression: 38 percent vs. 17 percent.

• Suicide attempts: 1.6 percent vs. .3 percent.

• High blood pressure: 27 percent vs. 19 percent • Cholesterol problems: 26 percent vs. 18 percent.

• Obesity: 27 percent vs. 16 percent.

• Alcohol use: 23 percent vs. 53 percent • Smoking: 16 percent vs. 30 percent.

Autism expert David Mandell, director of a mental health policy center at the University of Pennsylvania, said research is needed to determine if autistic adults are more likely to be diagnosed with other conditions simply because they have more contact with doctors. But Mandell said the disparities are probably real and that the medical community tends to focus mostly on treating behavioral problems in autism. The study highlights a need to focus equally on “these very important health conditions,” many of which are preventable, he said.

The government’s latest statistics suggest that 1 in 68 U.S. children have autism, or more than 1 million Americans. It’s considered a lifelong disorder that can involve language, intellectual and social impairments and unusual, repetitious behaviors.

Some common features, including lack of eye contact and social awkwardness, might suggest that people with autism dislike human contact. But Croen said it’s more likely that they share a desire to connect with other people but have trouble doing so. That isolation could lead to problems like depression, she said.

Correct installation of car seat offers best protection for child (BPT) — Driving your newborn home from the hospital is when you know your life has changed. Car safety before kids is relatively simple, but after your first child is born, it becomes more complicated, especially when it comes to proper car seat installation.

More than 50 percent of new fathers and 40 percent of new mothers expressed concern over mastering the proper car seat installation as one of their top fears when bringing home a newborn from the hospital, according to research from Cars.com and Toluna QuickSurveys.

Since the majority of newborns spend multiple hours in the car, knowing how to properly install a car seat is essential, and all too often done incorrectly.

Seventy-five percent of children ride in car seats that aren’t properly installed, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Although car seats (and the children in them) are all unique, Cars.com editor and expert mom Jennifer Newman offers these simple steps that are generally applicable to most car seat installations: • Once you purchase a car seat, perform a car seat check in your own vehicle to see if your new car seat and car are compatible.

Some stores will even let you try it out in your car before you buy.

• Make sure you’re using a car seat that meets the latest federal safety requirements and the height and weight of your child.

• Read both the car seat’s owner’s manual and your car’s owner’s manual to make sure you’re following the recommendations

regarding installation.

• Locate your local child car seat inspection station, offered throughout the country to teach parents, both new and experienced, how to properly install any car seat.

• Car seats can be installed with either the latch system — the lower latch and tether anchors often found in the backseat — or with the seat belt. Use whichever is easier for you but never use both at the same time. This setup hasn’t been crashtested and it could put too much stress on the car seat.

• After connecting the seat, using either method, make sure to push down on the seat as you tighten the latch straps or seat belt. The seat shouldn’t move more than an inch at the belt path.

• Register your car seat with the manufacturer and sign up for recall emails to ensure your child is not rid-

Health & Fitness, The Crescent-News, Thursday, March 12, 2015 - PAGE 9

INT 8060 3/12/04 4.27 PM Page 1

Trusted. By Patients and Their Families.

Trusted.

By Patients

INT 8060 3/12/04 4.27 PM Page 1

Photo courtesy of Brandpoint

There are a number of ways to see if the installation of your car seat is correct

including checking the car seat manual and the vehicle manual.

will help keep your child should not be worried to protected if you ever get take their child for a ride. By into a car crash,” Newman taking the proper steps parents should feel comfortable said.

Although many precau- and confident while driving INT 8060 4.27 Page 1 newborn so they with their should3/12/04 be taken

by PM “Even seasoned parents tions should take some time any parent before driving can focus on the road and to learn how to properly with a child, new parents keep their child protected. install the new car seats on the market. This will lower the risk of any injuries and ing in a defective car seat.

• Visit Cars.com to learn more tips on child driving safety.

and

a loved one Their When Families. needs care at

home,aturn When lovedto one Interimcare HealthCare. needs at home, turnproviding to We’ve been

By Patients Interim exceptionalHealthCare. quality

Glenwood Senior HouSinG

Trusted. and Their Families. services since 1966.

We’ve been providing exceptional quality Providing Nursing, Therapyservices and Aide since 1966. one When a services. loved Services provided in Williams, Henry, Defiance, needs care at Providing Nursing, Therapy and Aide services.

301 Glenwood dr. • defiance, oH • 1 Bedroom Units Currently Available • All Utilities except telephone provided • A no-smoking facility throughout • Individual Control of Heat & Air • Fire Protected by a sprinkler system • Smoke detectors • Ceiling fans in most rooms • Security – electronic lock with intercom • Ample parking

• All units accommodate wheel chairs and scooters • Small pets allowed providing tenants can properly care for them & w / a pet deposit • Inside access to all other apartments • Mail delivered inside of the building to locked central mail boxes • Two washers & dryers provided for tenant use only (currently at no charge) • Owner will accept federal or state rent assistance

Rental rates vary from $575 to $825 per month with a $400 deposit Leases are month to month with a 30 day min. notice to vacate.

call 419-784-3301 for an appointment.

home, turn to Paulding and Putnam Counties Services provided in Williams, Henry, Defiance,

Interim HealthCare.

Paulding and Putnam Counties We’ve been providing 1018 Ralston Ave., Suite 108 exceptional quality Defiance, services Ohio since 1966.

1018 Ralston Ave., Suite 108 Providing Nursing, Therapy and Aide services. Services provided Defiance, Ohio Providing Nursing, Therapy and Aide services. in Williams, Henry, Defiance, Paulding and Putnam counties

(419) 782-4777

Services provided in Williams, Henry, Defiance,

1018 Ralston Ave., Suite 108 (419) 782-4777 Paulding and Putnam Counties Defiance, Ohio

(419) 782-4777

1018 RalstonAcross Ave.,the Suite 108Across the Country.

Street.

Ohio H E A L T H C A R EDefiance, Across the the Country.

300Street.

OfficesAcross Nationwide.

H E A L T H C A R E 300 Offices Nationwide.

(419) 782-4777

InterimHealthCare.com/Stories www.interimhealthcare.com www.interimhealthcare.com H E A L T H C A R E

Across the Street. Across the Country.

214 PAGE 10 - Harding HealthStreet &Street Fitness, The Crescent-News, Thursday, March 12, 2015 214 Harding

BROOKVIEW BROOKVIEW Cardiologists urge caution with aspirin for non-heart attack patients Healthcare Center Healthcare Center Defiance, Ohio 44601 Defiance, Ohio 44601 419-784-1014 419-784-1014

www.brookviewhealthcare.com www.brookviewhealthcare.com At Dr. Martin O’Riordan’s Physicians have known cardiology practice in the for decades that daily, lowPhiladelphia area, it hap- dose aspirin makes sense pens weekly. for patients who have had A 45- or 50-year-old a heart attack or stroke, as it patient mentions that her sharply reduces the chance father had a heart attack of having a second one. at the same age. Worried But for people who have that the same fate will befall never had one of these carher despite being in good diovascular “events,” the health, she takes baby aspi- thinking on aspirin is less rin every day. clear, despite two recent O’Riordan’s typical large-scale studies. The rearesponse: Please stop. son for caution is the very

reason that CARE aspirin wardsCARE said O’Riordan, TRANSITIONAL I ALZHEIMER’S I LONG TERM CARE who is on TRANSITIONAL CARE I ALZHEIMER’S CARE I LONG TERM CARE off heart attacks and strokes: staff at Lankenau Medical It interferes with blood clot- Center. “Aspirin is a mediting, putting the patient at cation.” higher risk of serious gasIt is a medication drawing trointestinal bleeding. renewed scrutiny, 30 years Bottom line: Aspirin is after the Food and Drug more potent than many peo- Administration approved ple realize, said O’Riordan, its use after a heart attack. of Mercy Cardiology.

Evidence suggests it is “People have kind of also a good idea for some looked at it as, ‘Aspirin, people who have not had a an apple, a glass of milk, heart attack but who are at it’s all good for you,’” risk of having one — those with multiple risk factors such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure or diabetes. But the FDA has not approved it for that use.

And no one is precisely sure at what point aspirin’s benefits outweigh the risk of bleeding, said J. Michael Gaziano, chief of the division of aging at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.

“We know that it prevents heart attacks in everybody,” said Gaziano, who is helping to oversee one of three ongoing aspirin trials. “What we don’t know is exactly what’s the break point.”

One issue is deciding how much “weight” to assign to

YouMay MayLike LikeOur OurNew NewRates Rates-You ButYou’re You’reGoing GoingtotoLove LoveOur OurValue Value But NewLower LowerRates Rates New

Quality of Care Quality of Life

Brookviewisisproud proudtotoannounce announce Brookview we’velowered loweredour ourrates. rates.But Butwhen when we’ve comestotocare, care,we’re we’reeven evenmore more ititcomes proudofofour ourvalue. value. proud Aiming tothe Please proof,forfor lastthree threeyears, years,Brookview Brookview AsAsproof, the last has scored higher than any other centerinin has scored higher than any other center Sure we’reCounty proud to earnedand the highest score Defiance County forresident resident and family Defiance forhave family of any skilled nursing facility in Defiance County satisfaction.

And in 2013 we were the first satisfaction. And in 2013 we were the first the Ohio Department ofthe Aging’s 2011 Resident thearea areato toreceive receivethe prestigious 5-Star 2014 inininthe prestigious 5-Star Satisfaction Survey. ratingfrom fromthetheU.S. U.S.Centers CentersforforMedicare Medicare rating and Medicaid Services. and Medicaid Services.

But we’re even prouder of the care we give each

Quality of Care Quality of Life

Sowhen when you’re shopping around care for everyyou’re day the residents and families wefor serve.

Aiming totoshopping Please Soand around forforcare yourself or a loved one, ask yourself, are you yourself or a loved one, ask yourself, are you Visit us today and learn more lookingforfora bargain a bargain……ororforforvalue? value? looking

a serious bleed. It is generally not as bad as a heart attack, yet some aspirinrelated bleeding is severe enough to require a blood transfusion.

Another problem is the low rate of heart attacks in the broader population, which is dropping with healthier lifestyles.

Statistically, it is hard to measure a reduction in something that is uncommon to begin with.

Among those who have never had a heart attack or stroke, studies have linked aspirin use with a nearly 12 percent reduction in the chance of suffering one. But that is a reduction in a very small number. Instead of 57 heart attacks and strokes per year in a group of 10,000 people, you get 51, according to a meta-analysis published in the Lancet.

The impact on serious bleeding, meanwhile, varies from study to study.

As with the drop in heart attacks, however, the yearly increase in major bleeds per 10,000 people is in the single digits, though higher in • Aspirin, Page 13

Sure we’re proud to have earned the highest score

at Brookview, wefacility aiminto please of any skilled nursing Defiance County

Stroke

in the Ohio Department of Aging’s 2011 Resident

From Page 3

Satisfaction Survey.

ments are helping more people not only survive strokes, but regain their mobility and independence. Inside-the-artery treatment, including the procedure Donlan underwent, is more effective than TPA, according to a study published online in the New England Journal of Medicine in December 2014. In the study, insidethe-artery treatment improved the rate of good outcome by 1.7 times over TPA alone, and it can be administered up to six hours after a stroke (compared with only three to four and a half hours for TPA).

“Despite being the No. 1 cause of long-term adult disability, stroke has been one of the most under-

2011 Highest Resident Satisfaction Survey 2011 Highest Resident Satisfaction Survey in Defiance County in Defiance County But we’re even prouder of the care we give each 2012 Highest Family Satisfaction Survey Healthcare Center Survey 2012 Highest Family Satisfaction inI Defiance County andinCAREevery day to Ithe and families we serve.

TRANSITIONAL ALZHEIMER’S CARE LONG residents TERM CARE Defiance County

BROOKVIEW

2013 Highest Resident Satisfaction Survey

Highest Resident Satisfaction Survey 214 2013 Harding St., Defiance, Ohio 43512 in Defiance County 419-784-1014 in Defiance County

Visit us today and learn more www.brookviewhealthcare.com

2014 Highest Family Satisfaction Survey in Defiance County

5-Star Rating we aim to please at5-Star Brookview, CMSCMS Rating

Part of the Peregrine Family of Ohio-Based Health Services Communities

News & World Report’s U.S.U.S. News & World Report’s Best Nursing Homes - 2014 Best Nursing Homes - 2014

BROOKVIEW

Part of the Peregrine Family of Ohio-Based Healthcare Communities Healthcare Center Part of the Peregrine Family of Ohio-Based Healthcare Communities TRANSITIONAL CARE I ALZHEIMER’S CARE I LONG TERM CARE

214 Harding St., Defiance, Ohio 43512 419-784-1014 www.brookviewhealthcare.com

Part of the Peregrine Family of Ohio-Based Health Services Communities

treated and devastating diseases in the world,” said Dr. Albert J. Yoo of Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School. “Now that this study showed that treatment delivered inside the artery provides significant benefits for stroke patients of all ages, we have a golden opportunity to dramatically improve the lives of stroke victims.”

Donlan credits insidethe-artery stroke treatment for helping him reclaim his life. Today, he is back at work as a railroad electrical engineer and enjoys playing sports with his sons, volunteering for his local animal rescue, running and staying active. He hopes to return soon to Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. For more information about inside-the-artery treatment, visit www.

Quest2StopStroke.com.

Health & Fitness, The Crescent-News, Thursday, March 12, 2015 - PAGE 11

Tips for kids’ good dental health (BPT) — Getting children to brush their teeth can be challenging. No parent wants to struggle with a child every morning and night to ensure he or she develops good dental habits and a healthy smile.

As a father of two young children, NASCAR Cup Series champion Jeff Gordon understands the challenges that parents and caregivers have in getting kids to routinely practice good dental health habits.

“With good brushing and daily flossing, a smart diet and regular visits to the dentist, all kids can achieve good dental health,” said Gordon. “It’s all about brushing twice a day for two minutes. If we can send kids home from an education event with that message, along with some tips to share with their family members, a great toothbrush, toothpaste and dental floss, we can get them on the right track for a terrific smile.”

Gordon, driver of the No. 24 3M Chevrolet SS, has partnered with 3M ESPE Dental, 3M Racing

and the American Dental Association (ADA) Foundation to support the ADA Foundation’s Give Kids A Smile program.

Gordon and the Give Kids A Smile program offer tips for kids’ good dental health: • Always brush for two minutes, twice a day, every day.

• The ADA recommends that a child be seen by a dentist as soon as his or her first tooth erupts but at least no later than the first birthday.

• Help children maintain a lifelong healthy smile by providing them with a well-balanced diet, limiting snacks, ensuring that they brush twice per day and floss once per day, and scheduling regular dental checkups for them.

• The ADA recommends replacing toothbrushes every three to four months, or sooner if bristles are worn.

• Flossing removes plaque from between teeth, where a toothbrush can’t reach.

• Many injuries that occur on a playground, or even while skateboarding,

New PatieNt

Special!

Bragg Chiropractic We Specialize in helping with...

• Headaches • Foot pain • Neuropathy

• Carpal Tunnel • Shoulder Pain • Sciatica • Back Pain • Sprains/Strains • TMJ

• Knee pain • Auto Accident • Massage Therapy

Sports Physicals for $20 Equipment!

State of the Art art Equipment! eNtiRe initial Visit for $27 inCludES:

Consultation • 1st Adjustment • Therapy

can be prevented by wearing a mouthguard.

• A dental examination is as important as booster shots and should be a regular part of back-to-school preparation.

• A painful tooth or chronic dental problem can lead to difficulty eating, speaking, learning and concentrating.

• Good oral health is part of overall health. The mouth is a window into the health of the body.

• Frequent snacking or sipping on sugar-containing beverages such as soda, juices, sports drinks — even flavored waters — creates an environment for tooth decay because it exposes your teeth to acid.

Gordon will help share the message about good dental health throughout the year.

3M ESPE, CareCredit, Henry Schein Cares, Church & Dwight and the

Photo courtesy of Brandpoint

Champion NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon is working with the American Dental Association and other groups to bring good dental practices to children.

ADA Foundation will partner with NASCAR and the No. 24 3M team to deliver the message to some 10,000 underserved elementary school children in five NASCAR race markets with fun-filled, high-speed oral health education events featuring the No. 24 3M Chevy SS team and race car. In addition, it will connect

with millions more parents and families through dentist offices, health centers and national education outreach. The goals of the program are to eliminate cavities in U.S. five year olds by 2020 and help under-served children learn smart dental health practices that will drive healthy smiles for the rest of their lives.

Doctor Wisdom Tooth “A great experience, they care for each person individually.”

- Katlyn of Defiance

Would you drive to Bryan or Maumee to save $1,000?

Dr. Whittaker, General Dentist

Call to make an appointment at:

419-506-9010

Dr. Chris Bragg 410 East River Street, Antwerp Located east side of town on old 24

201 Van Gundy Drive, Building A, Bryan, OH • 419-636-4202 122 W. Wayne St., Maumee, OH • 419-893-4141 doctorwisdomtooth.com • whittakerdental.com

PAGE 12 - Health & Fitness, The Crescent-News, Thursday, March 12, 2015

Tips for aging athletes

By JEFF STRICKLER

Minneapolis Star Tribune

Aquatic Therapy at CMH

●

Family Health Centers

●

Specialist Clinics

●

Musculoskeletal Institute

●

Surgical Services

●

Obstetrics

●

Monitored Bed/ICU

●

Swing Bed Transitional Care Unit

●

Emergency Services

●

Physical, Occupational, & Speech Therapy

●

Respiratory Therapy

●

Cardiac & Pulmonary Rehabilitation

●

Aquatic Therapy Pool

●

Fitness Center

●

Laboratory Services

●

Radiology Services & Imaging

●

Sleep Center

Aquatic Therapy can make a remarkable difference after an illness, injury, or surgery, when a patient's sensitivity to pain may be increased or the ability to bear weight on the injured area limited. Water supports the body, reduces joint stress, and provides both resistance and assistance to movement.

Orthopedic Surgery at CMH Our board-certified orthopedic surgeons perform total knee and hip replacements utilizing the latest technology - including custom-fit implants designed to fit your body. Our surgeons also treat rotator cuff impingement and tears, frozen or stiff shoulder, carpal tunnel syndrome, and many other orthopedic conditions.

High-Field Open MRI At Community Memorial Hospital, our high-field open MRI scanner enables us to obtain high-resolution MR images for virtually any patient, including children, individuals with limited mobility, and those who are claustrophobic or obese.

Appointments available Monday through Saturday.

Delivering Your Little Miracle Our family physicians specialize in attentive, compassionate care for you and your baby during pregnancy, labor, delivery, and beyond. Our physicians take call for their own patients which means you highly likely to have the physician you trust at that special time.

208 N. Columbus St. • Hicksville, OH 43526 419-542-6692 • www.cmhosp.com

Following are some ways for aging athletes to keep the spring in their step: • Keep things in balance. Balance is a learned skill, “although we tend to forget that,” said Mia Bremer, fitness manager at the retirement community Friendship Village of Bloomington, Minn. “As toddlers, we had to learn how to balance, and as we get older, we need to continue to train ourselves.”

Improper balance can lead to pain in knees, hips and backs. She recommends strengthening the body’s core muscles — basically, the stomach and lower-back muscles — as well as doing balancing exercises, which can start with something as simple as standing on one foot.

• Focus on form. Runners often wax poetic about “zoning out” as they pad along their familiar routes, but don’t let inattention destroy your bliss. “Pay attention to the mechanics as you execute movement,” said Sarah Hankel, a personal trainer at the Lifetime Fitness club in St. Louis Park, Minn. If you’ve developed bad habits, fixing them requires focus.

“It takes 3,000 reps for a muscle to acclimate to a new movement pattern,” she said.

• Remember the basics.

The importance of keeping hydrated increases with age. “Ligaments and tendons need the fluid,” said Mark Richards, vice president of program development for the Edina, Minn.based Welcyon Fitness After 50 clubs. The experts also urge paying heightened attention to nutrition and sleep patterns.

Health & Fitness, The Crescent-News, Thursday, March 12, 2015 - PAGE 13

Finnish study suggests frequent saunas may boost survival CHICAGO (AP) — Frequent sauna baths may help you live longer, a study of Finnish men suggests. It would be welcome news if proven true — in Finland where hot, dry saunas are commonplace, and for Americans shivering in a snowy Nordic-like winter.

Previous research suggested that saunas might improve blood vessel function and exercise capacity, and lower blood pressure in patients with hypertension. The new study links long, hot sauna baths with even more benefits, including fewer deaths from heart attacks, strokes, various heart-related conditions and other causes.

Some things to know about the research, released recently in JAMA Internal

Medicine include: THE METHODS About 2,300 Finnish men, in their early 50s on average, were asked how often they used saunas. The rates ranged from once weekly to every day. During almost 20 years of follow-up, more than 900 men died.

The researchers took into account characteristics in addition to sauna use that would affect survival, including cigarette smoking, weight, physical activity, blood pressure and cholesterol, and income.

THE RESULTS Deaths from heart attacks and other cardiovascular problems were nearly two times more common in men who used saunas once weekly than in those who used saunas at least four

ASPirin From page 10

older people.

O’Riordan and other physicians use one of several “risk calculators” to determine a patient’s chance of a cardiovascular event in the next 10 years, generally recommending aspirin if that risk is above 6 to 10 percent.

Researchers have found that some of these calculators, popular online, may overestimate the chance of a heart attack.

The most recent evidence was published recently in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Still, the numbers are compelling enough for Cherry Hill, Pa., resident Frank Plunkett, who has not had a heart attack but who has taken daily aspirin for more than a decade.

Plunkett has high blood pressure and a total cholesterol count that at times has exceeded 200, so his physician told him aspirin was a good bet.

“I think it helps prevent clots and keeps my blood vessels from getting clogged,” said Plunkett, chair of the school of criminal justice at the ITT Technical Institute in Levittown, Pa. The FDA has taken a more cautious stance. In May, the agency rejected Bayer HealthCare’s request to market low-dose aspirin for use by people who have not had a heart attack.

Yet many people take it, even those who are at low risk of heart disease, according to a January study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

times weekly. Deaths from other causes were also more common in men who used saunas infrequently.

The amount of time spent in the sauna mattered, too.

Fatal heart-related deaths were less common in men whose sauna sessions lasted more than 19 minutes, compared with those who spent less than 11 minutes.

THE REASONS Dr. Jari Laukkanen, a University of Eastern Finland researcher and the lead author, said it could be that high temperature and humidity may cause beneficial physiological changes in the cardiovascular system, but that more research is needed to determine how saunas might prolong survival.

They are clearly relax-

In a population of nearly 69,000 patients at 119 cardiology practices, study authors found 11.6 percent were taking aspirin despite having less than a 6 percent risk of cardiovascular disease in 10 years.

That number reflected only those for whom aspirin use was recorded in the physician’s chart. So the rate of people taking aspirin inappropriately may actually have been higher, said lead author Ravi S. Hira, an interventional cardiology fellow at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.

Though the “worried well” sometimes take aspirin when they should not, studies have found some heart attack victims fail to take it even though they should, said Garret FitzGerald, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine.

“That’s the human condition, right?”

FitzGerald said.

The first clues that aspirin could prevent heart attacks came in the late 1940s, when California physician Lawrence Craven noticed patients who had their tonsils removed were prone to bleeding if they took aspirin for the pain.

He hypothesized the medicine might interfere with the formation of clots that can lead to heart attacks, and science eventually proved him right.

In the 1980s, FitzGerald and his Penn colleagues conducted some of the key research leading to a consensus that even a low dose of the drug could prevent a second heart attack.

(Tribune News Service)

ing for many people, and the camaraderie they offer may also benefit health, said heart specialist Dr. Rita Redberg, editor of the medical journal. “Clearly time spent in the sauna is time well spent,” she said.

SAUNA SPECIFICS Sauna rooms were 79

degrees Celsius, or 174 degrees Fahrenheit, on average for the most frequent users, but slightly lower for men who only used saunas once weekly. Finnish sauna rooms typically allow users to regulate temperature by pouring water on heated rocks.

Deficiency

FREE

Kingsbury Place Earns Perfect Deficiency Free Survey

Kingsbury Place, a senior living community

by Enlivant, received a Deficiency Free Survey from the State of Ohio for 2014.

“Receiving a deficiency free survey requires strong leadership, good communication with our residents, and dedication from the staff as the survey process is very rigorous and thorough.”

Kingsbury Place would like to personally thank every one of their staff members for helping earn the Deficiency Free Survey. Their dedication and compassion for each resident shows in the excellent job they do on a day-to-day basis.

For more information about Kingsbury Place, or to schedule a tour, contact the Community Relations Manager at

(419) 782-6324 or e-mail koskey@enlivant.com

Kingsbury Place Senior Living

enlivant.com

245 West Rosewood Avenue Defiance, OH 43512

PAGE 14 - Health & Fitness, The Crescent-News, Thursday, March 12, 2015

Simple steps that help diabetics keep their feet healthy (BPT) — A diabetes diag- nosis can be daunting, but a simple attitude adjustment can make a world of difference in how well you fare while living with the disease. By proactively taking steps to monitor key health indicators, experts agree that it’s possible to prevent some of the most severe risks of diabetes, including lower limb amputation.

People ages 20 and older who are living with diaN160 State Route 108, Napoleon, OH 43545 betes account for about 60 percent of non-traumatic lower-limb amputations, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Snowbirds take notice!

Prevention’s 2014 National Diabetes Statistics Report.

Memberships are available on an “The CDC says the occurrence of diabetes-related annual or month-by-month basis. foot and lower-leg amputation has decreased by 65 percent since 1996,” said American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA) President Dr. Frank Spinosa. “Working together, podiatrists and their patients with diabetes can reduce the number of Our Gym membership Enjoy our amputations even more. offers everything you heated pool for “People with diabetes need for strength may be less aware of cuts its therapeutic or wounds on their feet due training and cardio benefits! to the nerve damage related health! to their disease,” Spinosa pointed out. “Regular and Membership Level Monthly Yearly vigilant foot care can help catch problems before they Individual Membership $30.00 $310.00 develop into a health criCouple Gym Membership $45.00 $450.00 sis.”

The APMA offers advice Filling Home Staff $10.00 $100.00 to help people with diabe-

Filling Homes Therapy Center

Fitness Memberships

Individual Pool Membership

$40.00

$410.00

Couple Pool Membership

$55.00

$550.00

Filling Home Staff

$15.00

$150.00

Individual Combo Membership

$55.00

$575.00

Couple Combo Membership

$75.00

$650.00

Filling Home Staff Combo

$20.00

$225.00

Couple Mixed Membership (1 Pool, 1 Gym)

$50.00

$500.00

Find out more about the many benefits of a Filling Homes Fitness membership! fillinghome.org 419-592-6451 ext.1461

Photo courtesy of Brandpoint

A few simple steps can help diabetics keep their feet healthy and lower the risk of a possible amputation.

tes protect their foot health: • Inspect your feet daily, checking the entire foot and all 10 toes for cuts, bruises, sores or changes to the toenails, such as thickening or discoloration. Treat wounds immediately and see your podiatrist if a problem persists or infection is apparent.

• Exercise by walking, which can help you maintain a healthy weight and improve circulation. Be sure to wear appropriate athletic shoes appropriate for the type of exercise you’re doing.

• When you buy new shoes, have them properly measured and fitted. Foot

size and shape can change over time, and ill-fitting shoes are a leading cause of foot pain and lesions.

Certain types of shoes, socks and custom orthotics are available for people with diabetes, and they may be covered under Medicare.

You can find a list of podiatrist-approved footwear and products for people with diabetes on the APMA website.

• Keep your feet covered and never go barefoot even at home. The risk of cuts and infection is too great.

• See a podiatrist to remove calluses, corns or warts. Don’t tackle them yourself and don’t ask a unlicensed non-professional to do it. Over-thecounter products can burn your skin and injure your foot. Podiatrists are specially trained to address all aspects of foot health for people with diabetes.

• Get checkups twice a year. An exam by your podiatrist is the best way to ensure your feet stay healthy.

“For people with diabetes, taking charge of your own foot health can help you avoid foot-related complications like amputation,” Spinosa said. “Work with today’s podiatrist to help you safeguard your foot health.”

Health & Fitness, The Crescent-News, Thursday, March 12, 2015 - PAGE 15

The link between snoring and heart disease (BPT) — Snoring isn’t pleasant for anyone — not the partner who has to sleep beside the snorer, nor the snorer whose breathing may pause repeatedly throughout the night. But did you know that loud, excessive snoring is often a sign of obstructive sleep apnea, a condition that, if left untreated, can cause you to be five times more likely to die from heart disease?

Along with good nutrition and regular exercise, healthy sleep is essential for a healthy heart. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S, so treating sleep apnea is good for your sleep and your heart.

According to the National Healthy Sleep Awareness Project, obstructive sleep apnea is a chronic disease that afflicts at least 25 million U.S. adults.

“Obstructive sleep apnea is destroying the health of millions of Americans, and the problem has only gotten worse over the last two decades,” said Dr. Timothy Morgenthaler, president of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and a national spokesperson for the Healthy Sleep Project.

The project is a collaboration between the AASM, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Sleep Research Society and other partners.

Sleep apnea involves repetitive pauses in breathing during sleep, which can put an enormous strain on the heart. Severe sleep apnea can reduce the amount of oxygen in your blood and cause dangerous surges in your blood pressure. This stress triggers your body to respond in ways that may promote heart disease.

Sleep apnea may be far more common than you think. Between 30 percent and 40 percent of adults with high blood pressure also have sleep apnea. The rate of sleep apnea soars to 80 percent among people with high blood pressure that do not respond to treatment with medications. Research even shows that sleep apnea can affect the shape, size and performance of your heart.

“The good news is that detecting and treating sleep apnea can improve your heart health and other clinical outcomes,” Morgenthaler said.

The primary treatment for obstructive sleep apnea is continuous positive airway pressure therapy.

CPAP therapy keeps your airway open by providing a stream of air through a mask that you wear during sleep. Treating sleep apnea with CPAP therapy improves blood pressure control and reduces the risk

of heart disease. It can even reverse the changes to the shape and size of the heart that can be caused by sleep apnea.

Excess body weight is the leading risk factor for sleep apnea, and loud snoring is a common symptom. Other warning signs for sleep

apnea include choking or gasping during sleep, and daytime fatigue or sleepiness. Visit stopsnoringpledge.org to pledge to “Stop the Snore” by talking to a doctor about your risk for sleep apnea.

“Treatment of sleep apnea can be life-changing and

VANCREST HEALTH CARE CENTERS OUR MISSION IS TO DELIVER CARE

We got a

GREAT SCORE for our family satisfaction survey!

Conducted by the Ohio department of Aging and the Ohio Long-Term Care Ombusdsmen

92.9

Statewide Average is 85.90 Photo courtesy of Brandpoint

Snoring may be a sign of sleep apnea, which can lead to heart disease and other health problems.

Sleep apnea can be treated by wearing a CPAP mask while sleeping.

potentially life-saving,” Morgenthaler said. “For the best possible clinical outcomes, people with heart disease should discuss their risk for sleep apnea with their doctor.”

For more information, visit projecthealthysleep. org.

VANCREST Holgate Facility

WE DELIVER CARE

This survey is conducted every two years and measures the quality of care and the quality of life that our residents experience. Surveys are sent to family members that are knowledgeable about the care that has been received.

Questions pertain to overall satisfaction, activities, choices, direct care, administration, meals, dining and resident environment.

Visit www.ltc.ohio.gov to view survey results.

V A N C R E S T. C O M

PAGE 16 - Health & Fitness, The Crescent-News, Thursday, March 12, 2015

Study: Repetition helps kids learn and memorize math WASHINGTON (AP) — Sometime in elementary school, you quit counting your fingers and just know the answer. Now scientists have put youngsters into brain scanners to find out why, and watched how the brain reorganizes itself as kids learn math.

The take-home advice: Drilling your kids on simple addition and multiplication may pay off.

“Experience really does matter,” said Dr. Kathy Mann Koepke of the National Institutes of

Health, which funded the research.

Healthy children start making that switch between counting to what’s called fact retrieval when they’re 8 years old to 9 years old, when they’re still working on fundamental addition and subtraction. How well kids make that shift to memory-based problem-solving is known to predict their ultimate math achievement.

Those who fall behind “are impairing or slowing down their math learning later on,” Mann Koepke said.

But why do some kids make the transition easier than others?

To start finding out, Stanford University researchers first peeked into the brains of 28 children as they solved a series of simple addition problems inside a brain-scanning MRI machine.

No scribbling out the answer: The 7- to 9-year-olds saw a calculation — three plus four equals seven, for example — flash on a screen and pushed a button to say if the answer was right or

Recovery Services of Northwest Ohio In

of

511 Perry St., Gene Smart Community Center Defiance, OH 43512 • 419-782-9920

our commItment to contInually Improve the qualIty our servIces and programs , we are acceptIng appoIntments for psychIatrIc servIces wIth our lIcensed psychIatrIsts

For Adults • Alcohol/Drug Treatment • Dual Diagnosis Treatment • Mental Health Services • Case Management • Psychiatric Services

• Prevention Education • Drug Free Workplace Training • Medication Assisted Treatment • Men’s & Women’s Residential Treatment

For Adolescents • Alcohol/Drug and Mental Health Treatment Services

• Prevention Education Services

We accept private insurance, medicaid, and self payment.

Henry county 219 E. Washington St. Suite 210 Napoleon, Ohio 43545 (419) 599-7040

fulton county 560 W. Linfoot Street Wauseon Ohio 43567 (419) 337-1973

Williams county 200 Van Gundy Drive Bryan, Ohio 43506 (419) 636-0410

serenity Haven Women’s Residential Services 25212 St. Rt. 20 Fayette, Ohio 43521 (419) 237-3103 fresH start Homes Men’s Residential Services P.O. BOX 253 Alvordton, Ohio 43501 (419) 924-2029

Next, Menon’s team put 20 adolescents and 20 adults into the MRI machines and gave them the same simple addition problems. It turns out that adults don’t use their memory-crunching hippocampus in the same way. Instead of using a lot of effort, retrieving six plus four equals 10 from longterm storage was almost automatic, Menon said.

In other words, over time the brain became increasingly efficient at retrieving facts. Think of it like a bumpy, grassy field, NIH’s Mann Koepke explained.

Walk over the same spot enough and a smooth, grass-free path forms, making it easier to get from start to end.

If your brain doesn’t have to work as hard on simple math, it has more working memory free to process the teacher’s brand-new lesson on more complex math.

“The study provides new evidence that this experience with math actually changes the hippocampal patterns, or the connections.

They become more stable with skill development,” she said. “So learning your addition and multiplication tables and having them in rote memory helps.”

While the study focuses on math, Mann Koepke said cognitive development in general probably works the same way.

ATTENTION DIABETICS The Defiance Area Diabetic Club support group features speakers to educate you on various issues facing diabetics.We are open to Type 1 & 2 diabetics and their caregivers and it’s FREE!

September-November & February-May

Meeting 4th Monday of each month at 7:00 PM

in Promedica Defiance Regional Hospital Tiffin Room

✂ Clip-n-Save ✂

Defiance 511 Perry Street Defiance, Ohio 43512 (419) 782-9920

wrong. Scientists recorded how quickly they responded and what regions of their brain became active as they did.

In a separate session, they also tested the kids face to face, watching if they moved their lips or counted on their fingers, for comparison with the brain data.

The children were tested twice, roughly a year apart. As the kids got older, their answers relied more on memory and became faster and more accurate, and it showed in the brain.

There was less activity in the prefrontal and parietal regions associated with counting and more in the brain’s memory center, the hippocampus, the researchers reported in Nature Neuroscience.

The hippocampus is sort of like a relay station where new memories come in — short-term working memory — and then can be sent elsewhere for longer-term storage and retrieval. Those hippocampal connections increased with the kids’ math performance.

“The stronger the connections, the greater each individual’s ability to retrieve facts from memory,” said Dr. Vinod Menon, a psychiatry professor at Stanford and the study’s senior author.

But that’s not the whole story.

A reminder for Donations - they MUST be made out to THE DEFIANCE AREA DIABETIC CLUB or our local organization can not keep them.

For more information, please call Bob at 419-782-7883 See you at the next meeting!

Health & Fitness, The Crescent-News, Thursday, March 12, 2015 - PAGE 17

As population ages

U.S. is facing a crisis in cancer care

WASHINGTON (AP) — cer patients with poor progThe U.S. is facing a crisis in noses incorrectly believe how to deliver cancer care, the treatments they receive as the baby boomers reach could cure them.

Topping the list of recomtheir tumor-prone years and doctors have a hard mendations is finding ways time keeping up with com- to help patients make more plex new treatments, gov- informed decisions, with ernment advisers reported easy-to-understand information on the pros, cons recently.

The caution comes even and costs of different treatas scientists are learning ments.

“The patient can’t be pasmore than ever about better ways to battle cancer, sive,” Ganz said. “It’s an and developing innovative important partnership that therapies to target tumors. we need.”

The risk of cancer increasAnd while doctors try to optimize treatment, the es with age, and older Institute of Medicine found adults account for just over “daunting” barriers to half of the 1.6 million new achieving high-quality care cases diagnosed each year. for all patients. Overcoming By 2030, new diagnoses are those challenges will require expected to reach 2.3 milchanges to the health care lion a year as the populasystem, and savvier con- tion ages. The report warns there may not be enough sumers.

“We do not want to oncology specialists to care frighten or scare people for them.

Perhaps a bigger concern who are getting care now,” said Dr. Patricia Ganz, a is the growing complexity cancer specialist at UCLA, of care. Increasingly, scientists are finding genetic who chaired the panel.

But too often, decisions differences inside tumors about cancer treatments that help explain why one aren’t based on good evi- person’s cancer is more dence, and patients may aggressive than another’s. not understand their choic- More importantly, that also es and what to expect, the means certain cancer drugs will work for, say, lung Ever canpanel found. For example, Most Thorough Cleaning cer inSatisfaction one person but not some studies suggest that 100% Guaranteed the next. Our Many Services: two-thirds or more of can- Checkout

“If your doctor doesn’t know that, or your hospital doesn’t do the test, you don’t have that opportunity” for newer, targeted therapies, Ganz said. But, “we are living in an information age where it’s impossible to keep up.”

It’s not just a matter of knowing the latest treatments, but deciding if they’re worth it for an individual patient. Consider: Of 13 cancer treatments approved by the Food and Drug Administration last year, only one was proven to extend survival by more than a median of six months, the report said. The drugs all cost more than $5,900 for each month of treatment.

For older adults, treatment decisions may be even more complicated — because the studies that test different therapies don’t

include enough people over age 65, who tend to have multiple health problems along with their cancer, Ganz explained.

Nor are cancer teams doing a good enough job in educating and training patients’ loved ones to offer the at-home care that many need for long stretches of time, she said.

The Institute of Medicine advises the government about health issues. Among its recommendations are: more research to tease out how to best treat different patients; new strategies to help doctors keep up with that evidence; and development of tools to help communicate the choices to patients so they understand what really may happen to them.

In the meantime, the panel had some advice for people who need to know

if they’re getting quality care now. Take the time to research care options and get a second opinion, Ganz stressed. Among the questions to ask:

• How long does the average person with this cancer live?

• What is my likelihood of a cure?

• If I can’t be cured, will I live longer with treatment? How much longer?

• Will this care directly treat the cancer, or improve my symptoms, or both?

• What are the side effects?

• Am I healthy enough to try this treatment, or will my other health conditions and medications interfere?

• How many times have you done this procedure?

• What does the care cost?

• Am I eligible for clinical trials?

If your health team doesn’t have answers, “you need to find another set of providers,” Ganz said.

Wherever you use water, Culligan® can make it better.

•Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning •Mattress Cleaning

•Furnace, Air Duct & Dryer Vent Cleaning Come See Us At the Defiance Home & Garden Show •Ceramic Tile & Hard Floor Cleaning

Bye-Bye Winter Grime...

•Allergy Relief Services Bye-Bye Winter Grime... *Water DamageHome!

Restoration* Hello Clean & Healthy Hello Clean & Healthy Home! *33 Experience* *35Plus Plus Years Years Experience*

SammonS services ltd

Residential & Commercial Robert F. Sammons - Owner / Operator

Van Powered 419-630-7656 Carpet and Bryan Upholstery www.sammonscarpetcare.com Cleaning - Free Onsite Quotations Most Thorough Cleaning Ever 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed

419-630-7656

sammonscarpetcare.com

Tile Floor Cleaning & Waxing Dryer Vent Cleaning Ceramic Tile and Grout Cleaning Furnace and Air Duct Cleaning Water Damage - Restoration Vacant Property Cleaning

35 + Years Experience Fully Insured • Free Quotations

$9.95 PER MONTH Rent a Culligan Water Filtration System for $9.95 per month for the first three months!

Dealer participation may vary. Limited time offer. Not valid with other offers. ©2015 Culligan International Company.

www.culligan.com

FREE SALT SERVICE FOR A YEAR with the purchase of a new Culligan® Softener Dealer participation may vary. Limited time offer. Not valid with other offers. ©2015 Culligan International Company.

22183 S.R.18 Defiance, OH 43512 419-782-9756 425 Winzeler Dr. Bryan, OH 43506 419-636-2236 M-F 9-5; Sat. 9-12

find us on

Facebook

and budget!

5

PAGE 18 - Health & Fitness, The Crescent-News, Thursday, March 12, 2015

Get a Hearing aids give a great at Beltone! daysfree only FREE return onmade your investment See first-hand what’s (XX/XX – XX/XX) 10-point Springtime Hearing Aid (BPT) — If you’re one ally, the study showed. of thetrusted nearly 40 million Call today.

Beltone the most name • Maintain your cognitive Americans who suffer with function. Research shows Hearing CLEAN & CHECK * between hearing hearing loss, maybe it’s a link in hearing care for 75 years! time to consider investing loss and dementia, leading Test and in your hearing health. experts to believe that interResearch shows that the ventions, like hearing aids, Any make or model!

Big Savings rewards can be substan- could potentially delay or tial. In fact, identifying and prevent dementia. Research during our 75th addressing hearingDigital loss has is ongoing.

KEEP YOUR HEARING AIDS been shown to positively • Keep you on your feet. anniversaryPERFORMING AT THEIR BEST. PLUS… influence virtually every A Johns Hopkins study Hearing Aids aspect of an individual’s In-Office Trial showed that people in midlife, helping people celebration! • Get a FREE hearing screening at the same time as low asper$XXX dle per age aid (40-69) with even sonally, professionally and

FREE

†

of the new Beltone First™ Space is limited – call today!

mild hearing loss were Payment plansjust available even financially. nearly three times more New technological from $XX/month. likely to have a history of advances have revolution- falling. The intensive lisXX - XX, 2015 ized hearing Month aids in recent Month XX - XX, 2015 tening effort demanded by years. Today’s hearing aids unaddressed hearing loss can automatically adjust YEARS YEARS may take cognitive resourcto all kinds of sound envi- es away from what is needronments and filter out ed for balance and gait, noise. Many are virtually experts have suggested.

X Days Only!

Month of XX-XX, 2014 Valid for month March invisible, sitting discreetly • Relieve stress and lift and comfortably inside the ear canal. Some are your mood. When people even waterproof, and oth- with hearing loss use hearers are rechargeable. Best ing aids, many feel more of all, many are wireless, in control of their lives so you can stream sound and less self-critical, BHI from smartphones, home research shows. One study entertainment systems and found that the majority of people with mild and other electronics directly severe hearing loss felt betinto your hearing aid(s) at ter about themselves and Free hearing screening volumes just right for you. life overall as a result of Already own hearing aids?

When it comes to the pur- using hearing aids. & video ear scan Free Clean & Check chase of personal items that Month XX - XX, 2014 • Tame that ringing in enhance your life, there’s (Any make or model) your ears. Hearing aids can more than one way to mea(DISPENSER IMPRINT AREA) Month AND XX - WORK XX, 2014 sure value. Here are six help reduce the prominence ways that investing in pro- of tinnitus by amplifying fessionally fitted hearing background sound. Just aids — if recommended by taking the focus off the tina hearing care professional nitus can provide relief for following a comprehen- many people. Hearing aids sive hearing evaluation — also reduce the stress assocould bring you a greater ciated with intensive listenreturn on your investment ing, which alone can help relieve tinnitus symptoms. than you ever imagined.

[Dispenser imprint and work area] • Strengthen your rela• Unleash your earntionships.

Research shows ing potential. Using hearing aids reduced the risk that using hearing aids can of income loss by 90-100 help improve interpersonal ver 50. †Discount off Beltone XX MSRP. Cannot be combined with other offers, coupons or insurance plans. Previous purchases excluded. Participation may vary. See location for details. Benefits of hearing aids vary by type and , percent for those with mild- relationships. In one BHI g loss, noise environment, accuracy of hearing evaluation and proper fit. Beltone Hearing Care Centers are independently owned and operated. © 2015 Beltone study of people with hearer hearing loss, and from ing loss, more than half of 65-77 percent for those with Mon./Wed. 10-2, Tues./Thurs. 10-6, Closed Friday severe to moderate hearing the respondents said using loss, according to a Better hearing aids improved their Hearing Institute (BHI) relationships at home, their study. People with untreat- social lives and their abilBenefits of hearing aids vary by type and degree of hearing loss, noise environment, accuracy of hearing evaluation and proper fit. Beltone Hearing ed hearing loss lost as much ity to join in groups. Many Care Centers are independently owned and operated. Participation may vary. © 2014 Beltone as $30,000 in income annu- even saw improvements in their romantic lives.

• Try the “wireless streaming” everyone’s talking about

CALL TODAY Times are limited

free Screening

free Cleaning

beltone.com

1500 N. Clinton St. Defiance

419-679-4127

What you feed your baby can have long-term impact (BPT) — Experts agree that the food babies eat helps set the stage for growth and development, but did you know that it also impacts long-term eating habits and taste development?

Children who consumed fruits and vegetables infrequently and drank sweet drinks during late infancy showed those same habits at age six, according to new data published in the journal, Pediatrics. Infants who consumed sweetened beverages more than three times a week at 10-12 months were twice as likely to be obese at age six.

These findings validate the 2008 Nestle Feeding Infants and Toddlers Study (FITS), which also found eating habits are set in early infancy and mimic unhealthy eating habits seen in older children and adults. FITS is the largest, most comprehensive dietary intake survey of over 3,300 parents and caregivers of young children. The FITS findings showed preschoolers are getting nearly onethird (400 calories) of their total daily calories from fats and added sugars, and common childhood foods such as whole milk, cheese

and hot dogs are contributing to excessive saturated fat and sodium in young children’s diets.

Nutrition expert Dr. Kathleen Reidy, who heads Nutrition, Meals and Drinks at Nestle Nutrition, said, “What you feed your baby now affects them not just today, but tomorrow and beyond. The first years of a child’s life are a critical period of development, and instilling good eating habits during this time can help put a child on the path to a healthy future.”

For parents and caregivers, Dr. Reidy has some tips to help instill healthy eating habits for young children: Meal time is game time • Replace foods high in saturated fat with lean meats, low-fat dairy products and foods high in healthier fats such as avocado, fish and those made with olive, safflower and canola oils.

• Offer a variety of healthy foods, and try to set a good example by eating them yourself. If a child sees mom, dad or siblings eating a nutritious food, she may be more willing to try it.

• Milk is key in children’s

RECLINING LIFt ChaIRs $100 OFF

veggies • Pick foods low in salt/ sodium, such as fruits and vegetables instead of those high in sodium like hot dogs, chicken nuggets and dishes that contain cheese.

• Offer a rainbow of fruits and vegetables for snacks

and meals; for mixed dishes, choose items with a serving of vegetables.

• If your baby or toddler resists a new fruit or vegetable, don’t fret and try again. It can take up to 10 tries before a child accepts a new food.

RUPP REHAB In-Patient & Out-Patient THERAPY

Rehab with Skilled Therapists Clinicians with 15-20 years’ experience Physical Therapy Occupational Therapy Speech Therapy

Private Suites In-room dining, TV, wifi, shower at home living, dining & porch areas

In Stock and Immediate FREE Delivery

1710 Jefferson Ave., Defiance 419-782-6801 1-800-678-4838

"

Vital Stim Certified

starting at $699 & MATTRESS CENTER

diets and a top contributor of many important nutrients. Children over the age of two should be offered lower fat options such as one percent and skim instead of whole milk to limit saturated fat intake.

Don’t forget the fruits and

sugary snacks can set their eating pattern for the rest of their lives.

Therapy Gym: Training kitchen & bath, private treatment rooms; Designed to Motivate!

With this coupon

DISCOUNTERS OF FINE FURNITURE

Photo courtesy of Brandpoint

Studies say that feeding a young child wholesome food and avoiding

"

LIMITED TIME ONLY

Ken’s Furniture

Health & Fitness, The Crescent-News, Thursday, March 12, 2015 - PAGE 19

Call for details 419-445-3075 407 E. Lutz Rd. Archbold, OH

www.fairlawnarchbold.com

PAGE 20 - Health & Fitness, The Crescent-News, Thursday, March 12, 2015

A testing quandary for women with dense breast tissue WASHINGTON (AP) — More women are learning their breasts are so dense that it’s more difficult for mammograms to spot cancer. But new research suggests automatically giving them an extra test isn’t necessarily the solution.

Screening isn’t the only concern. Women whose breast tissue is very dense have a greater risk of developing breast cancer than women whose breasts contain more fatty tissue.

Laws in 19 states require women to be told if they have dense breasts after a mammogram, with Missouri’s and Massachusetts’ requirements that took effect in January. Similar legislation has been introduced in Congress.

What’s not clear is what a woman who’s told her breasts are dense should do next, if anything. Some of the laws suggest extra screening may be in order.

Not so fast, a team of sci-

entists reported recently.

They modeled what would happen if women with dense breasts routinely received an ultrasound exam after every mammogram, and calculated such a policy would cost a lot, in extra tests and false alarms, for a small benefit.

For every 10,000 women who got supplemental screening between the ages of 50 and 74, three to four breast cancer deaths would be prevented — but 3,500 cancer-free women would undergo needless biopsies, the study concluded.

“Not everybody with dense breasts is going to get cancer. There are people with dense breasts that are not at high risk,” explained study co-author Dr. Karla Kerlikowske of the University of California, The Luxury-Lift™ San Francisco, who has long The Luxury-Lift™ studied density.

Power Recliner Powerthe Recliner Among questions:

Assistance Assistance With Ease!

With Ease!

Assistance Assistance With Ease!

With Ease!

The Luxury-Lift™ Power Recliner The Luxury-Lift™ Power Recliner

This chair chair does This doesitit all with with the all the push push of a button! of button!

We put put comfort We comfort& & convenience in the convenience in the This of chair does it palm palm of your your hand. hand. all with the push

$719

This chair does it Fourof Styles and Many a button!

Four Styles and Many Colors to choose We put comfort & all with the push Colorsand to choose upin the convenience from. of afrom. button! palm of your hand.

We put comfort & Four Styles and Many convenience in the Colors to choose palm offrom. your hand.

205 S. Main St., Bryan

205Styles S. Main and St., Bryan Four Many 419-636-1121 419-636-1121 203 Defiance Archbold Colors toSt., choose 203 Defiance St., Archbold 419-446-2551 from.

419-446-2551 www.ruppfurniture.com 205 S. Main St., Bryan s r

r

419-636-1121 s r

TM

r

TM

203 Defiance St., Archbold 419-446-2551 s r

r

TM

How to tell which women really are at high risk, and how to better examine that group.

“We need to investigate alternative screening strategies for women with dense breasts,” added epidemiologist Brian Sprague of the University of Vermont Cancer Center, who led the research published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine.

Topping that list: Scientists are beginning to study if a newer tool, 3-D mammograms, might get around the density problem by essentially viewing breast tissue from more angles.

Meanwhile, Sprague said his study could help women consider the tradeoffs as they decide for themselves whether to pursue an ultrasound.

About 40 percent of women getting mammograms have dense breasts, either fairly widespread density or extremely dense tissue. Fatty tissue appears dark on the breast X-rays.

Dense tissue — milk-producing and connective tissue — appears white. So do potentially cancerous spots, meaning they can blend in.

Mammogram reports to doctors have long included information about breast density. But it wasn’t routinely shared with women until some cancer survivors, outraged at not knowing, began spurring state disclosure laws starting in Connecticut in 2009. The advocacy group that started the movement tracks the laws at http://www.areyoudense.org .

What’s a woman to make of the information?

Monday’s study “reaffirms that we don’t know exactly what the right thing to do is when a woman has dense breasts,” said Dr. Otis Brawley, chief medical officer for the American Cancer Society.

Simply finding more

tumors won’t necessarily save lives, cautioned Brawley, who worries that “we’re legislating something that we don’t totally understand.”

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists doesn’t recommend routine additional testing in women who have no symptoms or other risk factors.

UCSF’s Kerlikowske said the real issue in deciding whether any woman needs extra screening — from an ultrasound to a more expensive MRI — is her overall risk of breast cancer.

Her team helped create an online risk calculator — https://tools.bcsc-scc.org/ BC5yearRisk. Plug in age, breast density, if a close relative had breast cancer and a few other details. Putting the risk in perspective, the calculator compares the woman’s chance of developing breast cancer over the next five years with that of an average woman the same age.

But to answer, you have to know just how dense your breasts are.

Radiologists divide density levels into four categories: Almost completely fatty, scattered areas of density, fairly widespread density and the less common extremely dense. There’s no standard way to measure, cautioned the cancer society’s Brawley. And those mailed notifications don’t always give the woman’s category, even though the cancer risk is highest for extremely dense tissue.

Density tends to decrease with age, so a woman’s risk will change over time, Kerlikowske said. It also can reflect some other longknown risk factors, she added. Someone who had children very young probably will have fattier breasts by mammography age than a woman whose first birth was in her 30s.

Health & Fitness, The Crescent-News, Thursday, March 12, 2015 - PAGE 21

Clues to how people are able to bounce back from surgery

Photo courtesy of Brandpoint

Following a Mediterranean diet is recommended because of the use of fruits, vegetables, olive oil, nuts and fish, which can lower the incidence of cancer, heart disease and other health issues.

You may wish to consider the Mediterranean diet (BPT) — A healthy diet can be the foundation of a healthy life. While there are many food choices and diet options, one diet consistently grabs the attention of researchers.

“The Mediterranean diet has been, and continues to be, studied widely,” said physician assistant Tricia A. Howard, a faculty member at South University, Savannah’s College of Health Professions. “I would recommend considering the Mediterranean diet to anyone who wants to make a healthy lifestyle change.”

The Mediterranean diet is named after the geographical part of the world where most people consume plentiful amounts of fruits, vegetables, olive oil, nuts and fish.

“This is a diet high in antioxidants and antiinflammatories, which have many important health benefits,” explained Howard.

Some of the benefits of the Mediterranean diet can be seen quickly. Howard said many patients see improvement in cholesterol levels and begin to lose weight within a few months of adopting the diet. Numerous research studies show that the

long-term benefits include a decreased risk of heart disease and some types of cancer.

But Howard cautioned that the Mediterranean diet is not about quick fixes. Instead, it is a lifestyle change that you need to follow consistently for years in order to reap all the benefits.

“To get the many health benefits numerous researchers have found come with this diet, you must commit to it,” Howard explained.

“Following this diet and benefiting from it is really about deciding that you are ready to take control of your health and about being willing to make substantial changes in how you eat and what you cook.

“A lot of wonderful foods are included in the Mediterranean diet,” said Howard. “But, red meat is not part of the diet, and that can make it tough for some people to strictly adhere to it.”

Howard said even if you can’t strictly follow the Mediterranean diet, everyone should try to incorporate as many aspects of it as they can into their daily diet.

WASHINGTON (AP) — One of the big frustrations of surgery: There’s little way to know if you’ll be a fast or slow healer, someone who feels back to normal in a week or is out of work for a month with lingering pain and fatigue.

Now Stanford University researchers have discovered that right after surgery, patients’ blood harbors clues about how fast they’ll bounce back — and it has to do with the activity of certain immune cells that play a key role in healing.

The work one day may lead to a test to predict who’ll need more care, or maybe even if an operation is the best choice.

“We could ask, ‘Are you fit for surgery?’” said Dr. Martin Angst, a Stanford professor of anesthesiology and perioperative medicine, who helped lead the research published recently.

U.S. doctors perform millions of operations every year, many of them minor but others much more complex. Speed of recovery depends in part on the type of surgery and how sick the person is. Some hospitals have begun implementing “enhanced recovery” strategies, specific steps to take right before and after certain major operations in hopes of at least speeding the patient’s discharge from the hospital, if not their overall recuperation time.

But scientists don’t know what biology explains why some people recover so much faster than someone else who’s equally sick, information that could help guide development of those enhanced-recovery programs.

“I’m very excited that the science around surgery recovery is going that direction,” said Dr. Julie Thacker, a colorectal surgeon at Duke University who wasn’t involved in the

new study but praised the work.

Thacker has helped implement an enhanced-recovery program at Duke that she said works well, but said she can’t explain which steps are most important or why without research into how they affect such things as the body’s inflammatory response.

The Stanford team took an unusually close look at 32 otherwise fairly healthy people who underwent a first-time hip replacement.

They took blood samples from the patients before surgery and at several points afterward, and questioned them pain, fatigue and other elements of recovery every few days for six weeks.

That recovery was quite varied: Some experienced only mild pain just two days after surgery, while others didn’t report their pain was mostly gone until 36 days later. The median time to recuperate from post-surgical fatigue, extreme tiredness after simple activity, was three weeks, meaning half of patients fared better and half took longer.

The discovery: Patients’ blood shows an immune signature of recovery that accounts for much of their variability in recovery time — a pattern of activity in certain immune cells that are first responders to the injury site, the researchers reported in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

...to Succeed!

Providing developmental disability services since 1976.

www.crsi-oh.com

Get well ... Go home Restoring Your Health – Returning You Home 24HR. SKILLED NURSING I REHABILITATIVE SERVICES I ASSISTED LIVING to learn more call or visit us Online

THE GARDENS of Paulding

199 CR 103, Paulding, Ohio 45879 Tel: 419-399-4940 Web: www.thegardenspaulding.com Part of the Peregrine Family of Ohio-Based Health Services Communities

PAGE 22 - Health & Fitness, The Crescent-News, Thursday, March 12, 2015

Some ideas on women and incontinence

(BPT) — More than 40 million American women older than age 40 are affected by sensitive bladder in their daily lives.

In fact, almost one in three women say their sensitive bladders keep them from visiting friends, and 30 percent admit their sensitive bladders affect their relationships with their partners.

Lifestyle and positive aging expert Barbara Hannah Grufferman has teamed up with Always Discreet to offer helpful tips on how to manage a sensitive bladder with more discretion and confidence: • Exercise. Exercise can help you gain control of

EmploymEnt opportunitEs Drug Court Coordinator • Full time treatment coordinator/liaison for the local court systems in Paulding and Van Wert Counties.

• Licensure in social work or chemical dependency is preferred.

• A sound understanding of addiction disorders is needed.

Photo courtesy of Brandpoint

Millions of women are learning to deal with incontinence or sensitive bladders. Exercise, such as walking, and talking about the problem with your partner can help you manage this common health problem with confidence and discretion.

your pelvic floor muscles and keep you in shape, which has a direct effect on your bladder. Lower impact sports such as cycling, yoga or walking are ideal activities for women with sensitive bladders, because they help manage your weight while reducing pressure on your bladder. When doing abdominal exercises, watch out for crunches, which can put pressure on your pelvic floor. Instead, try incorporating core-strengthening exercises like planks.

• Talk with your partner.

It’s essential to bring your partner into the conversation. If you’re comfortable with who you are and what your body is experiencing, your partner will be too.

The fear of the conversation often tends to be worse

than the conversation itself, and you’ll feel even closer to your partner afterward.

•Embrace your age. This can be a very powerful concept — letting go of your younger self to embrace and love your older self.

Treat yourself with kindness, respect and take care of yourself as you would your children, your family and your friends.

• Share how you feel.

Most women don’t want to talk about their sensitive bladders, even with their doctors, because they’re embarrassed. However, sharing your experiences and feelings with other people who are going through the same thing will often put your mind at ease, because you won’t feel so alone.

Perfect Skin Begins with HOPE!

Behavioral Health Clinician • Experience in the treatment of mental health and alcohol/drug disorders.

• Appropriate licensure and 2 years clinical experience required.

900 West South Boundary, BLDG 9A Perrysburg, OH 43551

419-872-HOPE (4673)

Send ReSume To WeSTWood BehavioRal healTh CenTeR, inC. attn: Clinical director 1158 Westwood drive van Wert, ohio 45891

www.mitchellderm.com info@mitchellderm.com Hope Mitchell, M.D.

Artificial sweeteners may promote diabetes NEW YORK (AP) — Using artificial sweeteners may set the stage for diabetes in some people by hampering the way their bodies handle sugar, suggests a preliminary study done mostly in mice.

The authors said they are not recommending any changes in how people use artificial sweeteners based on their study, which included some human experiments. The researchers and outside experts said more study is needed, while industry groups called the research limited and said other evidence shows sweeteners are safe and useful for weight control.

The study from researchers in Israel was released recently by the journal Nature.

The work suggests the sweeteners change the composition of normal, beneficial bacteria in the gut. That appears to hamper how well the body handles sugar in the diet, which in turn can result in higher blood sugar levels.

This impairment, called glucose intolerance, can eventually lead to diabetes.

Some experts who didn’t participate in the work urged caution in interpreting the results.

James Hill, an obesity expert at the University of Colorado, called the work good science. Still, overall, “I do not think there is enough data yet to lead to a definitive conclusion about artificial sweeteners and the body’s handling of sugar,” he wrote in an email.

But Yanina Pepino of Washington University in St. Louis said the results make a convincing case that sweeteners hamper the body’s handling of sugar by altering gut bacteria. And it adds to her

belief that sweeteners and sugar should be used in moderation, especially by children, she said.

“It’s really providing strong data suggesting we need to do more research,” she said.

Researchers began by testing three widely used sweeteners: saccharin, sold for example as Sweet ‘N Low; sucralose, sold as Splenda, and aspartame, sold for example as NutraSweet, in 20 mice.

Some animals got one of those substances in their water, and others got sugar water or just water.

After 11 weeks, researchers gave all the mice a dose of sugar and monitored the response in their blood sugar levels.

The mice that initially got sugar showed about the same response as those that got plain water. But mice that got any of the sweeteners showed markedly higher blood sugar levels, indicating impairment in handling of the sugar dose. Further mouse experiments linked that outcome to an effect on gut bacteria.

To gain some preliminary information on people, the researchers turned to 381 non-diabetic volunteers who filled out a questionnaire that estimated their consumption of artificial sweeteners. Forty participants who had the most showed evidence of higher blood sugar than 236 non-users.

In another preliminary test, researchers gave saccharin for a week to seven healthy volunteers who normally don’t consume sweeteners. Four showed a decline in their ability to handle sugar over the course of the week. The makeup of their gut bacteria changed markedly over the week, while that of other three changed little.

Photo courtesy of Brandpoint

Ways to improve your health now include stopping smoking and adopting

O SSEETTROSSE NSE N N UUR E SESS. .

SESE YO O Y EELLLL..

SM ESESUSUTST SM SSEEEE ..

R R T

M A M K A TK

“This is a diet filled with antioxidants and antiinflammatories,” Howard explained. “This diet has been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer when adhered to long-term. Weight loss and improvement in cholesterol can be seen after just a few months.”

• Have your cholesterol checked You might be surprised to learn that you should begin having your cholesterol monitored by a doctor at age 20. But since coronary artery disease is the number one cause of death in the U.S., it’s a recommendation you should take seriously.

“There is no reason to avoid having your cholesterol checked,” Howard said. “If your cholesterol levels aren’t where they should be, you can change them.”

Howard said levels that are too high can be controlled by diet, quitting smoking, exercise, and even prescription medication.

“There are so many things we can do to improve not only the length of our life, but the quality of those years,” Howard encouraged. “Don’t wait. Commit today to making a few small changes, and see how they improve your health over time.”

the Mediterranean diet, which is high in antioxidants.

R.

is crucial.

Howard said men should drink 3 liters, or 13 cups, per day. For women, the recommendation is 2.2 liters, or 9 cups, per day. If that recommendation seems tough to follow, Howard said to divide it up throughout the day.

“Make sure you have water with every meal and also drink water at least once between each meal,” she suggested. “That divides up your fluid intake and can make the amount seem less daunting.” Howard said you don’t have to stick to water. Milk, coffee, and other drinks that contain a lot of water and not a lot of calories count towards your daily fluid intake.

• Exercise “Exercise reduces your risk for chronic disease, improves balance and coordination and helps with weight loss,” Howard said.

“Exercise is a key part of living a healthy life.”

Howard said the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends 150 minutes a week of moderate exercise, or 90 minutes of vigorous exercise a week, for adults.

“That sounds like a lot,” Howard acknowledged.

“But, if you break it into 15-or-20-minute daily workouts it’s much easier to fit into your schedule. You don’t have to spend hours at a time in the gym to reap the benefits.”

Howard said recent studies have shown that even short bursts of exercise can be helpful.

• Adopt the Mediterranean diet The Mediterranean diet is a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, olive oil, nuts and fish. The results of numerous studies show long-term health benefits to adopting the diet.

A HEAR. HE

(BPT) — Improving your health and wellness can seem like a daunting task, especially if you know you have some bad health habits to break. But, several improvements you can make today can result in tremendous health benefits.

“It starts with you,” said physician assistant Tricia A. Howard, a faculty member at South University, Savannah’s College of Health Professions. “You have more control over your health than you think you do.”

Here are five steps you can take today that can have a positive impact on your overall health and wellness.

• Stop smoking Everyone knows smoking is bad for you. In fact, people who smoke have by far the greatest risk of lung cancer — the number one cause of cancer deaths in the U.S. — and increased risk of a cardiac event. But, many people don’t realize that changes in the lungs caused by smoking can actually improve over time once a smoker quits.

“Even if you’ve smoked for many years, you can reduce your lung cancer risks just by quitting,” said Howard.

Howard said people who want to quit smoking do better when they set a target date to quit. She also advised working with your primary health care provider who can actually individualize a stop-smoking plan for you. And, Howard said getting support from others is a crucial part of the battle.

• Increase your water intake Sixty percent of your body weight is water. Your body depends on water to carry nutrients to cells and to flush toxins out of vital organs, so getting the right amount of fluids each day

IT

Health improvements you can make today that will really pay off

Health & Fitness, The Crescent-News, Thursday, March 12, 2015 - PAGE 23

IT

Suspect a natural gas leak?

Suspect a natural First, gas leak? move your feet!

First, Then call when you’re down the move street. your feet!

Then call when you’re down the street.

To help youyou SMELL leak from gas line or appliance, a like familiar To help SMELL aaleak from a gasa line or appliance, a familiar odor rotten eggs iseggs often is added to added natural gas.

Or you might blowing dirt, SEE odor likeyou rotten often to natural gas.SEE Or you might To help SMELL a leak from a gas line or appliance, a familiar odor like bubbling water, or anwater, unusualor area dead vegetation.

A leaking pipeline blowing dirt,isbubbling anofunusual of dead rotten eggs often added to natural gas. Or area you might SEEvegetation. blowing dirt, might pipeline also makemight a hissing sound you a can HEAR. sound you can HEAR. Abubbling leaking also make hissing water, or an unusual area of dead vegetation. A leaking pipeline mightRemember also maketoa hissing can HEAR. call thesound Ohio you Utilities Protection Service (OUPS) at

Remember to call the Ohiotwo Utilities Protection Service (OUPS)If at 1-800-362-2764 at least days before digging your property. you8-1-1 Remember to call the Ohio Protection (OUPS) at least days before digging your property.

IfService you suspect evertwo suspect a leak—walk away,Utilities right away.

Once clear of theever area, call at at least two days you your localaway, natural gas company orbefore 9-1-1. a1-800-362-2764 leak–walk right away.

Once cleardigging of the your area,property. call yourIflocal ever suspect a leak—walk away, right away. Once clear of the area, call natural gas company or 9-1-1. your To local natural gas company 9-1-1. learn more about natural gas,or including how to contact your gas company, visit

safegasohio.org

To learn more aboutmessage natural gas, including This safety awareness is brought to you by the natural gassafegasohio.org member companies of the Ohio Gasyour Association. how to contact gas company, visit This safety awareness message is brought to you by the natural gas member companies of the Ohio Gas Association.

1-800-331-7396

PAGE 24 - Health & Fitness, The Crescent-News, Thursday, March 12, 2015

Curious About Our Campus?

Come see our Continuum of Care

Open HOuSe

First Thursday of Every Month at 4 p.m.

Starting at Bavarian Village Condo #39

Bavarian Village Independent Living

Our spacious two-bedroom condominiums offer privacy and independence, with added services and amenities.

•Emergency call system •No property tax •Maintenance-free •Appliances included •Attached garage •Private patio

“When I think of the care I received from the Lutheran Home at Napoleon for my short-term rehab stay, I get very emotional. I would have never guessed you could find a facility with such caring, loving staff, and I struggle to find the right words to share the positive impact they had on my stay here. The entire staff went beyond all measure to make my stay as close to home as they could. Thank you for helping me get strong again. Thank you for treating me like family. Thank you for helping me with home therapy to keep me strong. I will share with everyone to choose the Lutheran Home at Napoleon.

“My wife, Lois, always comments on the amazing staff, and she used to be a nurse for 10 years in a skilled facility and can appreciate the extra effort and care they give.”

Alpine Village Assisted Living

Alpine Village offers spacious studio and one-bedroom apartments for older adults who can still manage many of their activities, but at times need a gentle hand.

•Housekeeping & laundry •Low daily rate •24-hour nursing staff •Therapy services available •Delicious menu options •Emergency call system

Francis Brown, Rehab-to-Home Patient

Lutheran Home at Napoleon

1036 S. Perry Street, Napoleon, Ohio 43545

419-592-1688 • www.LHSOH.org Open to all faiths • Chaplain & chapel on site Medicare, Medicaid and most private insurance accepted.

Lutheran Home at Napoleon is a ministry of Lutheran Homes Society.

Lutheran nursing & Rehab Center

You can count on the Lutheran Home at Napoleon’s short- and long-term care services when you need them most.

•Rehabilitation services: •Low daily rate •Large private rehab suites neurological, respiratory, •Inpatient & outpatient therapy stroke and cardiac care •Wound care, wound vac, IV therapy •Respite stay available